


Galar journey: The road to friendship

by Lady_Mystra



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Male-Female Friendship, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Training, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24943636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Mystra/pseuds/Lady_Mystra
Summary: Having left the Galar region at a young age, 16 year old Gloria returns to start her Pokémon journey with her childhood friend, Hop. While meeting people, making friends, catching Pokémon and of course collection gym batches, Gloria makes her way through the region. However, what's up with all those macro cosmos people? And why does chairman Rose seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Hop's brother, Leon.
Relationships: Gloria & her pokemon, Hop & Yuuri | Gloria
Kudos: 6





	1. Postwick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, this is my first time posting on archive of our own. I did start some fics a couple of years ago on fanfiction.net, but I never really got into the swing of things. I hope to change that this time around. So, while this is not my first fanfic, this is my first time writing fiction in a couple of years. I got really motivated to start writing again after replaying pokemon Sword and I've always been a fan of pokemon fanfics, so the decision to write a pokemon fanfic was quickly made. I'll change the tags (both relationship and general) when they come up in the story. I really hope that you enjoy it!

### Chapter 1: Postwick 

Gloria grumbled to herself as she forced herself awake. She had fallen asleep on the long flight to Galar, but the plane would be landing in a little bit. She was a mix between excited and anxious to be returning to her former home town, Postwick. 

Today, she would meet her childhood friend Hop again. She hadn’t seen him for close to 8 years, but 2 years ago they started talking online. Genuinely hitting it off again, they decided to start their journey together. Since the official age that trainers are allowed to start their journey in Galar is 16, they had almost 2 years to plan their journey. 

Of course, they still had to convince Leon, Hop’s brother and the current champion of Galar, to provide them with an endorsement letter or they won’t be able to enter the Galar pokemon league. But they had a plan for that. Hopefully it would work.

After the plane landed, Gloria took a taxi to the small town of Postwick. Passing by the pastures filled with Wooloo brought back many happy memories. She couldn’t believe it has been so long since she was here last. It almost felt like she never left. 

Finally, the car stopped before a large two story house with a red roof, a area dedicated to pokemon battles and a small garage. As you get out of the car a dark-skinned boy with purple hair and yellow eyes exits the house and runs up to you. 

“Hello, Hello! Gloria, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting forever for you!” He said as he came to a stop before you.

“Hi Hop, it’s been a long time.” Gloria answered with a smile.

“Yeah, it sure is. Let’s get you settled in. Then I can show you around and we can have a pokemon battle!” Hop said and reached for Gloria’s suitcase.

Since she would be on the road most of the time, she only brought a small suitcase mostly filled with stuff for her one month stay with Hop. Since Hop won’t turn 16 for another month, they had decided to spent a month together to get Gloria familiar again with Galar. 

“Thanks, Hop. That sounds great!” Gloria replied as she followed Hop inside the house.  
The house was just as large inside as it looked on the outside. The walls were decorated with a lot of amazing artwork and the kitchen had a rustic feel to it with the green cabinets and many plants. 

After greeting his mother and thanking her for letting her stay here, Gloria headed upstairs with Hop to the guest room. The soft yellow walls together with the beige carpet and comforter gave the room a serene atmosphere. It would be perfect to spend the month in. 

Hop set Gloria’s suitcase at the end of her bed and turned to her.

“So, let’s get going! I can’t wait for you to meet Wooloo! And I haven’t had a battle in ages!” He excitedly exclaimed.

After giving your agreement almost as excitedly, if that was even possible, Gloria went downstairs with Hop and into the garden. 

“Let’s go Wooloo” Hop shouted as he released his pokemon. 

Suddenly a cute sheep like pokemon formed in a flash of light. Its wool looking extremely soft and well cared for. 

“Woo! Wooloo!” It exclaimed, happy to be released. 

It immediately turned to Gloria, noticing that there was someone it hadn’t met before. Walking steadily towards her it softly butted her head against Gloria, asking for a head rub. 

“Aw, aren’t you a cutie.” She said and reached out her hand to rub its head. 

“She really seems to like you. Of course she would. Why wouldn’t she like my best friend!” Hop said with a huge grin on his face.

After giving Wooloo some more pets, Gloria turned to Hop. “Ready to meet my pokemon now?” She asked while reaching for a pokéball. Of course he agreed and Gloria released her pokemon.

From the light a small blue frog like pokemon appeared. It had large yellow eyes and white fluff around its neck. The first thing it did when released was jump onto Gloria’s shoulder. “Froak, kie, Froakie!”

“Hi Lir, sorry I had to keep you in your pokéball for so long.” Gloria said while apologetically rubbing Lir’s head. “But we have arrived in Postwick, so you can stay out of your pokéball now.”

“Ow wow! Your Froakie looks even cooler in real life! Hi little guy! My name is Hop. You remember me from video chatting, don’t you?” Hop asks while he moves closer to Lir. 

Lir looked unsure, but waved to Hop after a while. “Froakie, Froak!” He exclaimed sounding sure of himself, seeming to answer Hop’s question.

“That’s great little guy. Now let’s battle!” 

Hop moved into place on the battle field, his Wooloo following him. “Alright Lir, are you ready for your first trainer battle?” Gloria asked her pokemon while also moving across the battlefield and got a positive reply in return. 

The two trainers were noticeably excited. When they were both into position their first trainer battle would begin, even if it would not be an official one with anything at stake. Even the pokemon looked excited while they waited for their trainer to callout their first move.

“Lir, use bubble!”

Multiple bubbles shot out from the small frog and moved rather quickly towards Wooloo, hitting the pokemon before it could move. “Great job, Lir!”

“Ugh, Wooloo, don’t give up! You can do it! Use tackle!”

The sheep pokemon quickly moved to the Froakie and tried to tackle it, but Froakie dodged. The Wooloo repeated the move at the prompt of Hop and this time the move hit the frog full on, sending him flying across the field. 

“Oh, Lir, are you alright?” The Froakie slowly got to his feet and gave a nod in acknowledgement to Gloria. “Alright, get them with quick attack!”

Lir moved so quickly his form slightly blurred while he was making his way to Wooloo. “Wooloo, try to dodge!” At hops command the Wooloo tried to dodge, however he was unable to move out of the way quickly enough to completely avoid the attack. Slightly dazed from the hit, the sheep pokemon tiredly stood up from where it had fallen. “Wooloo, I believe in you! Show them how tough you are! We are going to be the next champion, so we’ll never give up! Use copycat and finish it with another tackle!” Hop exclaimed while cheering on his pokemon.

Immediately the pokemon looked recharged and moved in a blur similar to what the frog pokemon did just a minute ago. “Lir, use bubble to slow him down and dodge the next attack!” Gloria urged and the Froakie moved to comply. Several bubbles moved to hit the Wooloo head on, however it did not seem to slow the pokemon down, causing it to impact Lir with full force and launching him in the air. 

Though, the Froakie did not seemed to be hurt that much and was able to right itself in the air and moved to use his fall to give his tackle more power. Not expecting the attack from above, the attack hit the Wooloo before it could move out of the way. The force of the attack together with the damage from the previous attacks was to much for the Wooloo and it was unable to continue fighting. 

“You beat me?! You are an even better trainer than I expected!” Hoped said as he returned his pokemon. “You did a great job, Wooloo! We’ll win for sure next time!”

“You were amazing, Lir!” Gloria said as she moved over to the frog pokemon and let him jump unto her shoulder. “I had a lot of fun, Hop! We should definitely do it again!”

The two continued talking for a bit, while they walked to the pokemon center in town together to heal their hurt pokemon. 

~~  


The following month many days were filled with pokemon battles, exploring the town and just hanging out. Sometimes Hop won their match, and other times victory went to Gloria. They were pretty evenly matched, with Gloria favoring strategy more, while Hop prefers brute strength. But finally the long awaited day arrived. Hop turned 16. Of course this was celebrated thoroughly with cake, presents and a lot of fun. But more importantly, Leon arrived. Or at least should arrive…

“Mum! Is he here yet?” was the frantic question of Hop in the afternoon with still no Leon in sight. For their plant to join the league to work, Leon would need to be here. 

“Ah, he should have arrived a hour ago.” Was the reply of his mom. “He’s probably held up at wedgehurst station. Or he is lost…again. Why don’t you and Gloria go and meet up with him?”

“Then wedgehurst is where we are going! Come on Gloria, Lee is hopeless with directions. We have to make sure that he doesn’t get lost on the way!” Hop said and grabbed Gloria’s hand, dragging her out of the house and towards route 1 and Wedgehurst. 

When they arrived in Wedgehurst, they could see a crowd had formed near the station. Probably because of Leon’s presence, since his Charizard could be seen from where Gloria and Hop were. 

“Well, thank you for that! I hope you’ll all carry on training up your pokemon and never shy from battle. Then come challenge me for the Champion title.” We could hear someone say loudly as we approached. “My wish is for Galar’s Trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!”

“Hop!” was exclaimed by the same voice, which seemed to originate from a tall man with hair the same shade of purple as Hop’s, a cap and a large fur-lined cape. 

“Lee!” was the enthusiastically reply from Hop. So this was the infamous Leon, brother of Hop and current champion of Galar. He looked really impressive with his cape, but also kind of silly. It was probably something that was required to show of all his sponsors. But still, the lining made the cape look even more ridiculous. Gloria knew that some champions liked to dress extravagantly, take Diantha or Wallace for example, but still this might be a little too much.

“Look at you, Hop! I reckon you’ve grown….exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you! Happy birthday to my number-one fan!” Leon said as he moved in to give Hop a bearhug.

“Thanks, I missed you to Lee.” Hop replied as he tried to wiggle out of the hug. “Have you met my friend, Gloria yet? The one I told you about that recently returned from Kalos.”

“I’ve heard loads about you from my little brother. It’s nice to meet you, Gloria!” Leon said as he finally released Hop from his hug and offered his hand to Gloria. “I hope you kept Hop out of trouble while you were here?” 

“Of course, sir! And it is an honor to meet you.” Was Gloria’s reply as she shook the offered hand. “And Hop’s no trouble at all. He was the one keeping me out of trouble.” She continued, while scratching her head self-consciously.

“Come on Lee! We should be heading home. You were supposed to be there more than an hour ago. Mum is waiting for you!” Hop interrupted impatiently.

“That Hop…..Always so impatient, isn’t he?” Lee muttered in reply. “Well, everyone! I bid you farewell for today! But don’t fret….I’ll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have a champion time!” he continued to the crowd, which quickly dispersed. 

The trio then made their way back to Postwick. While traveling, they talked mostly about pokemon battling, which was to be expected when a pokemon champion and two excited upcoming pokemon trainers were put together. 

When they had almost arrived at the brothers’ house Hop asked his brother, “Hey Lee, what would it take for you to endorse both me and Gloria?” 

Leon looked kind of surprised, not used to hearing his brother sound so serious. “Well, you both should prove to me that you are absolutely ready for this. I know both of you already have a pokemon. How about this? Let’s see if the two of you can show me such a brilliant battle that I’m left with no choice but to endorse you. However, you won’t be battling each other. Since I’ve heard that you’re already used to battling each other, it won’t show your true skill, like when battling under pressure. Therefore, you will be battling me!” He finished with a bright smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gloria’s pokemon:  
> Froakie (lv 11) - Lir  
> Moveset: Pound, growl, bubble, quick attack & lick
> 
> According to the internet, Lir is the name of the Irish god of the sea and I thought it would suit Froakie and this story well.
> 
> Hop’s pokemon:  
> Wooloo (lv 10)  
> Moveset: tackle, growl, defense curl, copycat
> 
> So that was it for my first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! I’m trying to deviate from the story early on as you probably noticed. I greatly enjoyed playing the game, but I like to give my own spin to the story to hopefully make it more enjoyable and not just a repeat of the game. I would love it if you could comment whether you liked it so far and I would also appreciate constructive criticism, but please keep it friendly. Furthermore, English is not my first language so please excuse any mistakes.


	2. Route 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, here's another chapter. I finished it sooner than expected and decided to share it with you as soon as I could, instead of waiting. I hope you like it!
> 
> -edit 29/06/2020: Made some small changes, like adding chapter titles.

### Chapter 2: Route 1 

_Leon looked kind of surprised, not used to hearing his brother sound so serious. “Well, you both should prove to me that you are absolutely ready for this. I know both of you already have a pokemon. How about this? Let’s see if the two of you can show me such a brilliant battle that I’m left with no choice but to endorse you. However, you won’t be battling each other. Since I’ve heard that you’re already used to battling each other, it won’t show your true skill, like when battling under pressure. Therefore, you will be battling me!” He finished with a bright smile on his face._

Gobsmacked, Gloria and Hop turned to each other. “But Leon….Um…We only just started out as trainers. How would we be able to beat any of your pokemon.”

“Yeah Lee, even though I’m going to be the next champion, I known that I’m not even close to ready to beat one of your pokemon. They are just too amazing!”

“Who said you would be battling a pokemon from my main team?” Leon countered with a mischievous look on his face. “I’ve got just the right pokemon for this challenge. Meet the Grass-type ……Grookey,” a small green monkey like pokemon appeared and waved at the confused trainers,” the Fire-type …… Scorbunny, “a white bunny that seemed to burst with energy appeared next to the green monkey,” and last but not least the Water-type…… Sobble.” The final pokemon to appear was a timid reptile like blue pokemon that immediately hid behind the white bunny. “You will be battling one of these guys! They are meant to be starter pokemon for new trainers, but I’m responsible for training them up until they are ready for them. Of course they might be slightly weaker than your pokemon, but my experience will even the playing field. SO who’s ready to battle!” Leon explained excitedly. 

“Ow, that sounds a lot better. But how will we determine who battles which pokemon?” Gloria asked after hearing the explanation.

“You will battle Grookey and Hop will battle Scorbunny. Which one of you would like to go first?”

“I don’t really mind. Whichever way you like is okay for me Hop.” Gloria offered. 

After thinking it over for a bit, Hop decided that he would like to start. ‘So he can show Gloria how it’s done’ he added jokingly. Then the brothers took there positions on the battle field and Hop released his pokemon, while Scorbunny was already in position.

“Wooloo, use growl, followed by tackle!”

“Scorbunny, dodge that tackle and counter with double kick!”

Both pokemon immediately moved into action, with Wooloo growling loudly at Scorbunny and Scorbunny readying itself for the incoming attack. However, Wooloo moved more swiftly than it expected and could not completely dodge the attack, resulting in some damage. This did not seem to hinder Scorbunny and it jumped high into the air, its feet glowing slightly. 

“Wooloo, watch out!” Hop tried to warn his pokemon, but it was already too late. Wooloo was unable to dodge and the attack hit full on. The impact was so big, that Wooloo was unable to move for a bit.

“Wooloo, you can do it. Please stand up! I know there’s more fight in you left!” 

At Hop’s encouraging words the sheep pokemon was able to get to his feet and looked proudly to Hop for directions. 

“Try another tackle!”

“Scorbunny, use ember as it gets closer and follow it up with quick attack!”

The bunny readied his attack, while Wooloo moved closer. “Now Wooloo, try the special move we practiced!” Just as Scorbunny was about to unleash his attack, Wooloo aborted it’s own attack and moved sideways until it got behind the bunny pokemon. Unable to stops its ember attack, Scorbunny could not move out of the way of the incoming tackle, resulting in a full on hit. However, before Scorbunny was able to get up, the sheep pokemon tackled it again.

“Wow little brother, I didn’t know you got it in you! That was a great strategy!”

“Of course, I came up with it together with Gloria! I had to get creative to handle her ranged attacks.” Hop boasted with a broad grin on his face.

“But don’t think this is over yet, little brother. Now Scorbunny, another double kick!”

Since both Wooloo and Hop were distracted, the sheep pokemon was unable to react in time and the attack hit full on. Even though it was less powerful than the previous attack it still did a lot of damage, causing the pokemon to collapse and be unable to continue fighting. 

“Well, that was a shock! I really thought I had you with my special move….” Hop said sadly as he returned his pokemon. “Well, it’s up to you now, Gloria! Show Leon what you’re made of!”

“Don’t be to beat up about your lose, little brother! Your battle was really promising! It takes talent to come up with strategies to counter potential weaknesses.” Leon tried to cheer Hop up. 

“Hah, thanks Lee, you always try to stay positive! Well, let’s get a move on. I’m super excited to see Gloria battle!” 

With his good mood suddenly returned, Hop expectantly turned to Gloria. 

“Alright, let’s do this!” Gloria said as she took Hop’s place on the battle field. “Go Lir!”

“Froak, Froakie!” The frog pokemon excitedly shouted as he was released. 

“You’re up next, Grookey!” 

“Lir, Hop lost his battle, so we shouldn’t get overconfident. Let’s start off with quick attack to get close and follow it up with a water pulse!”

“Grookey, follow his movements closely and use branch poke when it gets in range!”

Both pokemon looked focused as the battle started and the frog pokemon was the first one to move. Energy surrounded him as he started to blur towards Grookey. The monkey pokemon tried to hit Froakie before he got his attack in, however the frog moved more quickly than he expected and the attack hit Grookey full on. Still dazed from the attack, Grookey was also unable to dodge the following attack from Froakie. Water rings shot from the mouth of the blue frog and impacted the monkey at close range, resulting in a small explosion, which launched both pokemon in the air. After the dust cleared, both pokemon were rising to their feet, Grookey looking more damaged than Froakie, but Froakie was not without damage. 

“Oh, no Lir! Are you okay?” Gloria worriedly asked. At a nod from her pokemon Gloria issued the next attack, “You did great, now keep your distance from Grookey and hit it with bubble. Keep using bubble so it cannot get close to you to attack you!”

Lir quickly moved farther away from his opponent and started firing off a string of bubbles. When the bubbles started to impact the monkey like pokemon, Leon interrupted. 

“Not so fast. Did you really think that your pokemon is the only one to know a ranged attack? Grookey use razor leaf to destroy the bubbles and after they are destroyed, hit Froakie!”

Then the tables turned. Instead of the bubbles hitting Grookey, the bubbles were destroyed before they could even reach him by the leaves he unleashed. Making quick work of destroying the bubbles as they formed, the leaves started to target the blue frog. Unable to dodge the attack, the leaves hit the pokemon, causing a lot of damage due to type advantage.

“No Lir, don’t give up! Two can play this game. Destroy the incoming leaves using water pulse and when you’ve destroyed them all, follow up with quick attack!”

Even though Lir was rather hurt, he still did not give up and prepared to fire off a water pulse to destroy all incoming leaves. The water pulse was able to destroy all leaves and the frog pokemon was moving away at great speed in a zigzag pattern. Due to the movement of Lir, Grookey’s leaves were unable to hit their target. Before the green monkey could react, he was hit by the attack of his opponent and was launched backwards, while the frog pokemon moved to launch another quick attack. 

“Grookey, branch poke when he gets close! He’s losing speed, since he’s hurt, so you should be able to hit him this time. Finnish him off with another razor leaf attack!”

True to Leon’s prediction, Froakie’s speed was greatly reducing in the next attack and before he was able to hit Grookey, the monkey pokemon hit him with a branch attack. Froakie was still trying to get up to continue fighting, when Grookey launched his last razor leaf attack. However, before the attack could hit its target, Froakie disappeared in a red light.

“I give up!” Gloria shouted, “Lir, would have been unable to continue battling if that next attack hit and he was unable to dodge it. I didn’t want him to get hurt anymore than he already was.” She explained, surprising both brothers.

“That’s really mature of you, Gloria! You and your pokemon fought hard and you’ve got real promise! You too, little brother. You’ve certainly surpassed my expectations!”

“So….does that mean you are willing to endorse us, Lee?” Hop asked sounding uncertain. “Even though we both lost?”

“Winning isn’t everything, little brother. You both handled yourself really well in a battle against an opponent that had a clear advantage over you. By using simple yet effective strategies, you tried to combat that and almost succeeded in winning. Against less experienced trainers you would have certainly won!” Leon praised both trainers with a smile. “The reason I’m unbeatable is because I learn from every battle I see or take part in. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today. Seeing you battle today definitely showed me that you both are already working on getting that part down. Gloria, you greatly care for your pokemon, even more than winning the battle. This is an important mindset to have. Moreover, for a beginning trainer, your strategies were sound and you were great in improvising when thing went wrong. Hop, little brother, your strategy was good as well and even though you were less good in thinking on your feet, you made up for that with your passion and creativity. So I’ve little choice but to give you both an endorsement as champion!” He finished his speech, “You both deserve it!”

Both Gloria and Hop released a breath they didn’t even know they were holding at hearing this. “Thanks, Lee/Leon!” They both said simultaneously and after realizing they spoke in turn, they burst out laughing. 

“What should we do now? Travel to Motostoke?” Gloria asked when she finished laughing, already thinking ahead and planning their journey in her head. 

“Before that, I would recommend you go to professor Magnolia to get a pokédex. A trainer’s pokédex helps them learn lots of things about all the Pokémon out there, including their strengths. But it’s more than just a collection of data, you know. It’s a record of a Trainer’s love and passion for Pokemon training! If you want to go, I’ll let the professor know to expect you.”

“Eh, that sounds amazing, Lee! Of course we want to go there, right Gloria?” Was Hop’s enthusiastic reply.

“Yeah, I agree with Hop. That sounds darn useful!”

“I’ll let her know and I’ll meet you guys there tomorrow. Here lab is on the outskirts of Wedgehurst.” Leon replied. “But enough about that. It’s still your birthday Hop. Let’s party!”

Leon then proceeded to grab both Gloria and Hop by the arm and drag them inside before they could protest. After healing up their pokemon using some potions, they spent the rest of the evening joking, talking even playing some games and just having a good time before it was time to head to bed. 

~~

The next morning arrived bright and early! By the time Gloria and Hop headed downstairs for breakfast, Hop’s mother told them that Leon had just left. However, she urged them not to rush and take their time with their breakfast. After finishing their breakfast, double checking their bags and bidding Hop’s mom goodbye, they set out to Wedgehurst. At the suggestion of Gloria, instead of heading directly to Wedgehurst, they planned to take the long way around through route 1. 

While walking through the tall grass, they both were on the lookout for interesting pokemon. Some Skwovet were running about, their cheeks filled with berries. Rookidees could be seen flying in the air and perched on tree branches and Wooloos were grazing a little bit away. 

“Do you see any pokemon you want, Hop?”

“Yeah, those Rookidee look really cool! One of them would make a great addition to my team!” Hop proclaimed. “What about you?”

“I think I would like to look around some more. Maybe I can find some other pokemon if I look carefully. Maybe we should split up and meet here in 2 hours?”

“Alright! That sounds great! Let’s catch some awesome pokemon!” Hop said as he ran off farther into the tall grass.

“Well, he could have at least said goodbye…” Gloria muttered quietly. “Lir, come on out!”

When the blue frog appeared, he immediately climbed onto Gloria’s shoulder. “Hi buddy, we’re out here looking for another friend. So keep your eyes out for any pokemon you think would make a great addition to our team.” 

At Lir’s nod, they quietly moved through the tall grass. After an hour of looking without finding any pokemon that she was interested in catching, she decided to have a short break and eat a small snack. Laying out some berries for her partner, she grabbed a sandwich for herself. With their focus on eating, they did not notice a pokemon slowly approaching the abandoned bag. However, when Gloria moved to grab her water bottle, she was surprised at seeing the state of her bag. A fluffy brown tail with a beige tip was sticking out of it. Slowly approaching her bag, not wanting to startle the pokemon, she motioned for Lir to move in position as well.

Trying to keep her voice calm and soothing, she asked the unknown pokemon, “Hey buddy, what are you doing? Are you hungry. If so, you won’t find any in that bag. But I’ve got some here that I’m willing to share.”

The pokemon startled at hearing her voice and looked up, which revealed the identity of the unknown pokemon. It was a small, mammalian pokemon with bushy, brown fur and a fluffy cream-colored ruff around its neck. An Eevee, the evolution pokemon. However, she shouldn’t be near this route. Gloria wondered what she was doing here. The closest place that these pokemon were rumored to wander in the wild is route 4, which was not even close to where they were now. She decided to offer the promised food to her and held up an Oran berry, since she looked hungry. When she saw Gloria holding the berry up to her, the pokemon seemed to doubt whether she should go for the berry or not. Seeing the obvious distrust, Gloria slowly rolled the berry over to the distrustful pokemon. 

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you or try to catch you. You can stay there and eat the berry and I will remain here. I can give you more if you’re still hungry afterwards.”

Hearing this, the small pokemon carefully approached the berry, keeping an eye on both Gloria and Lir simultaneously. After seeing no obvious reaction from them, the Eevee slowly started to eat. However, soon her hunger took over and she sped up, consuming the berry quickly. Having forgotten her mistrust, the hungry pokemon looked hopefully towards Gloria. Happy to oblige, Gloria rolled another Oran berry over, which was also consumed quickly. When Gloria moved to roll over another berry, the Eevee surprised her by calmly making her way to the trainer and taking the berry from her hand. She did not even move away from Gloria before starting to eat again. Fortunately, significantly slower this time. 

After eating her fill, Eevee turned to look at Gloria again. While the fluffy brown pokemon had been eating, Gloria had moved to sit down next to it and finish her own meal. Even Lir had moved closer to continue eating his own meal. 

“Do you want another berry?” Gloria asked surprised, having expected that the Eevee would not be hungry anymore. 

She firmly shook her head in response and softly headbutted Gloria’s knee. “Do you want to come with me?” Gloria tried again. This caused the pokemon to nod her head this time. “You really want to join me on my journey? I’m going to travel through the whole region. There probably will be a lot of battling involved, since I’m participating in the Galar league. Knowing this, do you still want to be my pokemon?”

She vigorously nodded her head in reply again. When Gloria held an unused pokéball before her, she confidently pushed the button with her head, catching herself. 

“Alright! I caught my first pokemon!” Gloria shouted in joy, striking a victory pose with Eevee’s pokéball. “However, I expected more battling to precede my first catch…” She continued under her breath. 

“Well, Lir, let’s formally meet our new friend.”

“Froak, Froakie!” Was the excited reply of her starter pokemon.

Then Gloria released the recently captured Eevee, which shook her fur and happily greeted Gloria after she appeared from the red light. Unable to continue resisting the cuteness of her new pokemon, the trainer bend down to softly stroke her new pokemon’s head. Leaning into the gentle caress, Eevee started to slightly purr to the delight of Gloria. 

“You’re just lovely, aren’t you.” Gloria said, while she continued her caress. “I want to introduce you to my partner, Lir.” Here the trainer motioned her starter to come closer. “He has been with me for many years and I hope you two will get along.”

The blue frog stared long and hard at the new addition of their team, before it kindly smiled to Eevee. In reply, Eevee moved closer to nose Lir. Seemingly coming to a conclusion, Eevee said her name cheerfully and rubbed her head softly against the other pokemon, causing Gloria to laugh in relief. 

They stayed like that for almost another hour, getting to know each other and playing together. However, they still had to meet up with Hop, and the meeting time was drawing closer. After packing up her gear, the trainer made her way over to the meeting spot with both her pokemon by her side. She was looking forward to meeting more pokemon and hoped that all her future pokemon would get along just as well as her current ones did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gloria’s pokemon:  
> \- Froakie (lv 14) - Lir  
> Moveset: Pound, growl, bubble, quick attack & lick, water pulse
> 
> \- Eevee (lv 8) - ?  
> Moveset: Covet, Helping hand, Tackle, Growl, Tail whip, Sand attack, Detect (egg move)
> 
> Hop’s pokemon:  
> Wooloo (lv 14)  
> Moveset: tackle, growl, defense curl, copycat, guard split
> 
> Leon’s pokemon:  
> Scorbunny (lv 12)  
> Moveset: tackle, growl, ember, quick attack, double kick
> 
> Grookey (lv 12)  
> Moveset: scratch, growl, branch poke , taunt , razor leaf
> 
> ~~  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did please leave a comment and/or kudos! It motivates me to finish writing the next chapter more quickly.
> 
> I tried writing some more battles scenes and personally I like how they turned out. Hopefully you don't mind that I made both Hop and Gloria lose their battles, but honestly I didn't see any realistic way to make them win their battle against Leon while they both had a type disadvantage (scorbunny with his fighting type attacks and Grookey being a grass type), were battling against the current champion (and Leon doesn't seem like the type to go easy on them anymore than he already did by using pokemon other than his current team), and them being rather new to battling. 
> 
> In the scenes with Leon, I used some direct and some altered quotes from both him and Hop.


	3. Wedgehurst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s another chapter. This one is a bit longer than the previous ones. Some of the dialogue is taken from the games. I hope you enjoy it! This chapter will reveal some more of Gloria’s backstory.

### Chapter 3: Wedgehurst 

_The blue frog stared long and hard at the new addition of their team, before it kindly smiled to Eevee. In reply, Eevee moved closer to nose Lir. Seemingly coming to a conclusion, Eevee said her name cheerfully and rubbed her head softly against the other pokemon, causing Gloria to laugh in relief. They stayed like that for almost another hour, getting to know each other and playing together. However, they still had to meet up with Hop, and the meeting time was drawing closer. After packing up her gear, the trainer made her way over to the meeting spot with both her pokemon by her side. She was looking forward to meeting more pokemon and hoped that all her pokemon would get along just as well as her current pokemon did._

When Gloria and her pokemon approached the meeting spot, Hop was already there, leaning against a tree and talking to his pokemon. It seemed that Hop also succeeded in catching a second pokemon, since there on his shoulder was the bird pokemon, Rookidee. It would be a great addition to his team, since it’s final evolution, Corviknight, has almost no weaknesses and is even resistant to 2 types. Upon seeing their approach Hop waved and started walking towards Gloria. After introducing their new companions to each other, the continued on towards Wedgehurst. 

Being rather familiar with it, Hop immediately spotted the Pokemon Research Lab as they entered Wedgehurst and pointed it out to Gloria. The building stood out with its bright purple roof and large pokéball mark on the front. They arrived before the building to the presence of Leon standing before the entrance.

“Well done! You reached the goal and managed to find the Pokémon Research Lab. You did a far sight better than I did my first time.” He greeted them.

At this Hop stifled a laugh and replied: “Not everyone is as bad as you at directions, Lee. You would be hopelessly lost without Charizard…”

“Ah…Well, you’ve got a point” He answered rubbing his head. “Now, in we go.”

As they entered the lab, Gloria was blown away by the sheer amount of books that could be found. Bookcases filled most of the walls of not one but two stories, a black metal spiral staircase connecting them. This was definitely different from professor Sycamore’s lab in Kalos, his being far larger with even a receptionist and specific floors dedicated to different research topics. 

“I’ve got to give it to Professor Magnolia. Everything in here looks fascinating…” Leon continued as they walked further inside. While they were busy looking around, a cute dog-like pokemon with a brown body, yellow fluff around its neck and yellow highlights around its eyes came running up to them and happily greets Leon, begging for head rubs. When it came closer, Gloria noticed that it also had a yellow bolt-shaped tail and heart-shaped pattern on it’s rear, suggesting that it was probably an electric type pokemon. 

Occupied with the dog pokemon, they failed to notice another figure approaching. “What is it today, Leon?” A new voice asked. As the young trainers looked up, the could see a young woman with ginger hair in a large ponytail decorated with four white heart-shaped hair decorations and turquoise eyes standing on the second floor overlooking their floor. She was wearing a teal crop top and light blue skinny jeans. On her feet, she was wearing black and turquoise high-heeled boots with white hearts. “Looking for info on another never-before-seen, super strong pokemon? I wish you’d stop with these outlandish requests.” She finished as she walked down the spiral staircase. 

“Good to see you, too, Yamper!” Leon greeted the pokemon, bending down to give it some quick scratches behind its ears and ignoring Sonia for the moment. “Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around. He came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road. Oh yeah, and that’s his trainer, Sonia.” He continued, finally turning to the ginger. “What can I say about Sonia? Well, I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash.”

Hearing his strange description of Sonia, both Hop and Gloria sweat dropped. ‘Was that the only thing he could think of to describe her?’, Gloria thought.

“What kind of an introduction is that? Did you forget we were rivals during our gym challenge.” Sonia remarked, echoing Gloria’s thoughts. “It wasn’t just Yamper helping you out. I did, too. Anyway, nice to meet you! Name’s Sonia. I’m the professor’s assistant.”

“This is Gloria. And you’ve already met my brother Hop. They just started as pokemon trainers. Set them on the right path, would you?”

At Sonia’s agreement, Leon follows the happy Yamper outside and Sonia moves over to Gloria and Hop with a sigh. “What does he think I am? He’s always got his head in the clouds. It’s no wonder he gets lost all the time. Oh. Looks like you both got a Rotom phone. Hey there, Rotom!” she greeted the Rotom phones as they started hovering in the air. “Rotom phones are handy little things, aren’t they? They’ve got a map and a navigation tool. That said, Leon still gets lost, so…..Oh, sorry. So tell me, do you know a lot about pokemon?” 

Both Hop and Gloria answer that they do. Hop being Leon’s brother was really motivated to learn a lot about pokemon to one day surpass his brother, not to mention learning a lot from Leon every time he visited. Gloria learned a lot during her time in Kalos by helping out in professor Sycamore’s lab and from her mother, who is one of professor Sycamore’s research assistants. 

“Well said! In that case, I’ll make it so that you can use the pokédex on your Rotom Phone!”  
At these words, both Hop and Gloria handed over their phone and after quickly installing the pokédex on them, Sonia returns them. “Just so you know, that pokédex is a gift from my gran! Could you let Gran know that you received the pokédex? She lives in the house down on route 2.” Both trainers agreed and after saying goodbye, left the lab and continued onto route 2. 

~~

As they continue on the path towards professor Magnolia’s house, they are approached by two people, one young boy with short brown hair, wearing a red sweater with a skwovet on it, and teenage girl around their age with long blond hair, wearing a crimson blazer, white blouse with black tie and a black skirt. 

“Hi, we were wondering if you both are interested in having a double battle with us?” The girl asked.

“Sure!” Gloria excitedly replied. “I’ve never participated in a double battle before, but I’ve watched tons of them! What do you think, Hop? Ready to test how well we can battle together?” Gloria teased with a wink to Hop.  
Hop getting just as pumped up as Gloria and totally oblivious to the teasing. “Of course! My name’s Hop, by the way, and this is Gloria!”

“I’m Lauren and this is Jake.” The girl, Lauren, introduced themselves in return. “Alright, let’s just move over to that clear area over there, so we won’t block the road.”

“This will be a 2 vs 2 battle with every trainer only using one pokemon, do you agree.” Lauren asked and got agreements from everyone involved. “Let’s start the battle then!”

As she finished talking everyone released there pokemon. At the right side of the field, Lauren had released a small blue turtle-like pokemon, which Gloria’s pokédex told her is a Chewtle, while Jake had released a Skwovet. On the left side, Gloria’s blue frog pokemon, Lir, and Hop’s sheep-like Wooloo could be seen.

Before anyone else could, Lauren ordered her Chewtle to attack Wooloo with water gun. However, at Hop’s order Wooloo avoided the attack. Only that did not go quite as expected. Wooloo might have dodged the attack, but being inexperienced in double battles, he moved into Lir when dodging. The result: both pokemon tangled in each other.

“Agh, Lir, quickly get up before they can attack!” Gloria shouted in vain, since their opponents had already moved in to use this opportunity. Lauren ordered another water gun, which thankfully hit the frog pokemon instead of Wooloo, doing almost no damage. Additionally, Jake ordered his Skwovet to bite Wooloo, seeing him as the larger threat. However, just before the bite attack could hit, Lir and Wooloo managed to untangle themselves and move away before the attack could hit. 

“Wooloo, use double kick on Skwovet!”

“Lir, Follow behind Wooloo and finish it with a close up water pulse when it’s down!”

Both pokemon moved to do as ordered. Moving in sync, Wooloo’s attack hit Skwovet full on and being super effective, it left the pokemon knocked down on the ground. However, before it could push itself up, the blue frog was already there with a water pulse ready to fire. Another hit resulted in the pokemon getting knocked out and recalled. 

“Ah, that was over sooner than I expected…”muttered Jake disappointedly.

“It’s not over yet! Chewtle use bite on Froakie! And follow it up with a tackle aimed at Wooloo!”

Lir, slightly dazed from his own attack couldn’t react in time and was bit by the Chewtle, which unsurprisingly did a lot of damage. There’s a reason Chewtles are known for their bites. Fortunately for Wooloo, he had enough time to use defense curl to prepare himself for the incoming attack. By curling into himself, the sheep pokemon significantly raised its defense and with stood the tackle with little damage. 

“Great job, Wooloo! Keep it up!” At Hop’s encouragement, Wooloo looked more energized and ready to battle some more.

“You’re both rather good, eh. Didn’t expect that from some beginners. Well, I won’t let it end here yet! Chewtle use Water gun to launch yourself in the air and then aim your tackle at Froakie!”

“Froakie, try to dodge it! If you can’t use water pulse to slow down its momentum!”

As Gloria predicted, the already weakened frog pokemon was unable to dodge the attack. However, before it was able to gather energy for another water pulse Hop interrupted.

“Wooloo, use double kick to interrupt the attack! Don’t let it hit Lir!”

At his trainer’s orders, Wooloo jumped in the air and kicked the small turtle pokemon out of the air and finished with a second kick on the downed pokemon. When the resulting dust clouded cleared, it was obvious that Chewtle was unable to battle, making Gloria and Hop the victors of this battle. Their first double battle together was a success. 

The defeated trainers both congratulated them on their win and handed over some money. After losing any official battle, certified trainers are required to pay a certain amount of money based on their battle experience and how much money they have. This rule was established to enable trainers to buy trainer supplies like pokéball and potions. Of course, winning a gym match would result in significantly more money than winning a normal trainer match. 

After they said their goodbyes, Hop and Gloria continued their journey to professor Magnolia’s house, which was already in sight. They were also able to see Leon and an older woman standing before the door of the house. As they approached they could hear the tail end of their conversation.

“So have you unraveled all the secrets of the Dynamax phenomenon yet!” could be heard in what was obviously Leon’s voice.

“Oh goodness, no. The whole thing is still full of questions. I hoped that my granddaughter would take over my research, but….” Was the reply of the older woman, who was almost certainly the well-known professor Magnolia. 

At the approach of the young trainers, they both interrupted their conversation and turned to greet them. “Dear me, I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice my guests! My name is Magnolia.” She introduced herself as she adjusted her glasses. “Welcome, young trainers! Now come, let’s head indoors.”

They follow her inside and into her kitchen. “Why, Hop dear. I see Wooloo has made some new friends. And you must be Gloria. I trust you both received the pokédex from Sonia. I’m sure you’ll have it complete in no time!” 

“You must already know about Dynamaxing, right?” Leon added to the conversation. At Hop and Gloria’s nod, he continues. “Professor Magnolia’s been doing research into the Dynamax phenomenon for years and years. And it takes a proper understanding of the thing if you plan to use Dynamaxing to the fullest!”

“There you go again, Leon, always talking about pokemon. There are other things that are worth knowing about, too, you know. Like how many different types of tea there are!”

Gloria had to cover up a laugh at the last sentence and looking at Hop it seemed he had to do the same thing. “Don’t worry, professor Magnolia. I’m used to Lee’s rambles about pokemon. It’s great how passionate he is about pokemon! It totally fires me up!” Hop replied.

After making some more small talk over a cup of tea and thanking professor Magnolia for their pokedexes, the young trainers said their goodbyes and left the house. Just as they were leaving the house, a shooting star flew past them and landed near the river bank just outside of professor Magnolia’s property. Of course being curious, they both hurry over to see what it is. 

“Gloria! Would you look at this? They’re wishing stars!” Hop exclaimed as he bend down to pick up two pieces of slightly shiny purplish rock with red lines all over it. “Since there are two of them, we should both take one!” Hop handed Gloria the second wishing star and continued talking excitingly. “With one of these, our pokemon can Dynamax! They’re gonna be massive! YES!” Unable to contain his excitement, the last part was shouted.

Hearing the commotion, Leon and professor magnolia approached them. “Trust you to pull something like this, little brother! They say wishing stars fall down for those who have a true wish in their heart, you know.” Leon said astonished. 

“Those wishing stars are composed of a curious sort of rock containing unknow power…” Professor Magnolia added. “They are one of the most precious resources we have here in the Galar region. But they won’t do a thing for you in that state. Give them to me now, and I’ll have them sorted.” She offered the young trainers.

Getting even more excited at the prospect of dynamaxing, Hop replied: “Ah, right. You’ve done heaps of research on the Dynamax phenomenon, haven’t you professor? Then please! Give Gloria and me the power to Dynamax our pokemon!” 

“That would be really kind of you, professor Magnolia. Of course we accept.” Was Gloria’s sedate reply.

“I do understand your excitement, young man, but don’t get carried away. Try to act more calmly like your friend here. You want to save your energy for tomorrow’s journey!” Professor Magnolia offered in reply to Hop’s enthusiasm.

At that moment, Sonia arrived to see them all gathered at the river bank. “Seems I came back home right in time for all the excitement! Hey, you lot, why not have some dinner. You must be hungry, right? I’ve been totally obsessed with making the latest trendy curries.”

Of course everyone agreed and they all headed back inside the house to eat. During dinner everyone made some small talk. Leon was mostly pestering professor Magnolia about dynamaxing again, with some inquiries from Hop in between Leon’s questions. Meanwhile, Gloria got to talking with Sonia. Since they mentioned it before, Gloria had gotten curious about Sonia’s journey. Both how it was to have Leon as a rival and just how her journey went in general. 

“I have many fond memories from my journey. Of course I always lost to Leon when we met up again, but that didn’t take away how much fun my journey was. I met my team during my journey, who I still love very much.” Was Sonia’s reply to Gloria’s inquiries. 

“What pokemon do you have?” questioned Gloria, curious to know more.

“Well, of course you met my Yamper.” At this, Sonia fondly looked down towards were Yamper was lying against her legs. “Besides Yamper, I also have a Crobat, Togekiss, Gardevoir, Cinccino and Venusaur.” 

“Wow, you have so many amazing pokemon! How did you get a Venusaur? Aren’t they really hard to get here in Galar?”

“Same way Leon got his Charizard. We both got them from Gran as a Charmander and Bulbasaur when we started our journey.” Sonia replied with a wink.

After some more questions, Gloria asked whether Sonia would consider battling her after she became stronger. Taking a liking to the girl and seeing a little bit of herself in her, Sonia agreed. She also gave her phone number to the teen and told her to call her if she ever needed help with something or just to talk. Since they mostly talked about Sonia’s journey, the ginger decided to change the topic and asked Gloria about her time away from Galar.

“It was really hard at first, since we moved right after my dad past away. But my mum managed to get an amazing job working at the lab of professor Sycamore in Kalos! You see, he’s my mum’s brother and was looking for an assistant researcher at the time. He knew my mum was both qualified for the position and looking for a job. At first she didn’t want to leave Galar, because of me, but eventually she agreed.”

“Really, you met THE professor Sycamore! And he’s your uncle! His work on mega evolution is ground breaking! To have published so many research papers at such a young age.” Sonia was slightly fangirling. “Did you get to spend much time at his lab? Is that were you got your Froakie from?” Were her questions after she snapped out of it.

“Yeah, I got to help out in the lab a lot. It was amazing meeting so many pokemon and learning stuff about them. And I met Froakie at his lab. He was supposed to go to one of the new trainers that set out on their journey every year, however nobody chose him. After that, I met him and comforted him, since he thought he was constantly rejected, because he was not good enough. After that we played a lot and became really close. My uncle saw our bond and decided, if Froakie agreed to it, that he could be my pokemon. And that’s that!” Gloria finished with a smile. 

Having finished dinner, everyone stayed around talking some more. Since it was to late to head out to take the train to Motostoke, professor Magnolia offered Gloria and Hop a place to stay for the night. However, Leon had to leave for some champion duties early in the morning. Accepting the gracious offer, the teens were led by Sonia to their rooms. Gloria fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow. 

~~

The next morning Gloria entered the kitchen to find everyone already up and about. “Hey Gloria! Finally decided to join us!” Hop teased when he noticed her. 

“Good morning to you, young challenger. Now that everyone is finally here, Gloria, Hop, these are for you.” Professor Magnolia greeted as she held up two wristbands, one band for each trainer. The wristbands were adorned with red and blue highlights, had a red logo on the front and a black screen on the back. “Those are your Dynamax bands. I made them by fitting the wishing stars you found last night into those bands.” She added as she handed over the bands. 

The moment they received their Dynamax bands, the teens slipped them on their wrists. “Thanks, professor! This is brilliant! It’s just like the one Lee has on him, too. Now we can Dynamax our pokemon like he does!” Hop exclaimed with a fist pump in the air.

“Thank you professor. We’ll take good care of them and use them well.” Gloria answered to show her gratitude. 

“My word, you don’t waste any time, do you? I think you’ll find it’s not so simple as all that. There are a number of conditions you must meet if you hope to have your pokemon Dynamax and take on gigiantic forms. Now don’t be afraid to go to all sort of places and meet all sort of pokemon. That will help fill out your pokédex, too.”

Hearing that fired Hop up even more. “The legend of my reign is finally about to begin! Come on, Gloria. Let’s race to the station. I’ll definitely beat you to it!”

At Gloria’s agreement, Hop races out of the door closely followed by Gloria. The start of their gym challenge one step closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gloria’s pokemon:  
> \- Froakie (lv 15) - Lir  
> Moveset: Pound, growl, bubble, quick attack & lick, water pulse
> 
> \- Eevee (lv 10) - ?  
> Moveset: Covet, Helping hand, Tackle, Growl, Tail whip, Sand attack, Detect (egg move), Quick attack
> 
> Hop’s pokemon:  
> \- Wooloo (lv 16)  
> Moveset: tackle, growl, defense curl, copycat, guard split, Double kick
> 
> \- Rookidee (lv 10)  
> Moveset: Peck, Leer, Power Trip, Hone Claws 
> 
> Youngster Jake’s pokemon:  
> \- Skwovet (lv 8)  
> Moveset: Tackle, Tailwhip, Bite
> 
> Lass Lauren’s pokemon  
> \- Chewtle (lv 9)  
> Moveset: Tackle, Water Gun, Bite
> 
> ~~  
> If you liked it, please consider leaving a comment or giving some kudos! It really motivates me to keep writing.


End file.
